Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1887-01-07
WALKING TO HIS GRAVE.
An Indiana Man Kept in Perpetual
Motion by a Spinal Dis
euse. S
4 Strange Case That Fxcites Widespread
Interest Among tho Medical
Fraternity. ri
Fraternity.
Wabash ind, letter.,

00ndy curiosity and no mistake.
Snider lives one mile south Of Mill
Grove, small station on the Pan Handle
Railway, in the eastern part of Black ord
county. Your correspondent found him
industrlously perfolm ming his iceland toe
located in the center of an acre lot. Around
the house o beaten path, worn fully FIVE
inches below the surface, indicates the
route pursued by Snider in his weary and
almost ceaseless tramp. To vary the mon
otony of his tramp, Snidcr has two other
prOmenades, both in the rear of the dwell
ing, circular in form and ninety feet in
diameter. During the past three months
Snider has walked incessantly out of doors,
through rain, slect, and snow; but, as the
exposure had begun to tell on him, his
relatives fitted up q room in the cabin for
his pedestrian exercises.
Two years ago last April Snider, then o
robust man of tifty-four, while at work in
nield, was seized with spasmodic twiich-
ing of his arms and hands and severe
was incapacitated for labor of any kind,
and the physician summoned pronounced
the case most serious one. After few
days of suffering all symptoms of nervous
arrangement disappeared, and for o week
Snider was apparently as we'll MS ever.
Then the muscular commissions again man
fested themselves, but this time in the legs.
He lost control of both legs, and the pro-
pensity to walk, which will eventually carry
snider to the grave, took complete possess
sion of him, and with the exception of
about four hours each day, from 1 to 5
o'clock o. NJ, he is constantly on his feet
and travelling at the rate Of four miles an
hour.
At o'clock in tho morning. after sleep
of three to four hours, Snider begins his
daily tramp and continuous walking, eat
ing his meals rs he walks, until one o'clock
the following morning, when he sits down
in chair and sleeps soundly, being unable
TO rest in recumbent position.
At the outset his friends endeayored by
force to induce him to remain quiet, but he
Immediately became frantic, and with tears
in his eyes the patient beggedto be released
or he would die. Snider was placed in the
State asylum ut Indianapolis for brief
time. but was returned by the authorities
there, pronounced harmless and incurable.
BE is perfectly rational, but talks but little
about his peculiar affection, and seems
rather averse to newspaper notoriety.
The walker stated That he could not pos
sibly control himself, and that his physi-
clans had informed him that he would walk
until death claimed him. When Snider
began his tramp he weighed 100 pounds; he
now weighs $50 pounds, and has not Nh
ounce of superfuous flesh. His muscles
are hard and firm. He has fully recovered
from a recent indisposition, when he was
thought to be dying. He walks with q
quick step of uniform length, striking his
heels into the soil each time, the shock
being apparently grateful one to his mus
cles.
AT times Snider sleeps us he walks, and
for an hour, guided by relatives, he swings
around the circle, snoring loudly, andupor
awakening he runs at rapid gait for sew.
eral miles, to crest HIMSELF" as he says
Snider suffers no pain, and is apparently
contented while in motion.
DR.. Davidson, of Hartford City, who il
Sniders physician, and has complete charge
of the case, said that, while his recovery il
impossible, Snider would probably live fol-
many months. @The affection is disease
of the spinal cord, said the Doctor, "and
from the hips down his physical condition
is not subject to government by the ka;ain,
the great nerve CENTER"
In October Snider was placed behind :.
pillow in a field and made fair progress for
d time, but when the pillow struck q hidden
root and stopped, Snider, instead of ex-
around the horses, and set off alone on his
regular tramp. It is estimated that during
the two years he has been walking, Srider
has travelled $4,000 miles.
The case excites widespread interest
among the medical fraternity, many men,
bers Of which have visited Snider at his
home. diagnosing the disease while walk
ing with him, rs he is unable to stop even
for moment. His case is said by physi-
clans to be unparalleled, and his powers OF
endurance superhumans